Executive Director, Legal

Job Description

The Managing Counsel, Corporate Transactions, will provide legal support and counseling for a broad range of complex transactions on behalf of the Company, including public and private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and complex corporate licensing, research and clinical collaborations, business development, manufacturing and supply transactions and alliance management. The Managing Counsel will be responsible for supervising a team of lawyers, paralegals and administrative staff, directly or indirectly, and will report to the Assistant Vice President of Corporate Transactions.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with management in business development and licensing functions on complex legal transactions led by the Company’s Corporate, our Company's Research Laboratories, Manufacturing, Global Human Health (including Vaccines) and Animal Health Divisions.
• Provide both transactional and strategic advice and counseling to business development, alliance management and executive committee clients with respect to key legal and business issues on complex matters.
• Negotiate and draft highly sophisticated M&A, joint venture, licensing, collaboration and other agreements, often where no precedents exist, and supervise attorneys in support of same.
• Advise on relevant antitrust (US FTC and ex-US antitrust authorities), SEC and corporate laws impacting various projects.
• Provide support for deal related implications and other governmental legislative, administrative and policy initiatives and advise clients on impacts, including the assessment of legal implications associated with evolving access and policy strategies and development of appropriate strategies/structures to address.
• Provide legal services, advice and guidance that is consistent with law and Company policy; further business objectives and appropriately balance divisional/function/corporate business objectives and legal risks.
• Exercise judgment to drive decisions on routine and non-routine matters within area of practice.
• Manage and proactively and aggressively drive talent management and development of attorneys and paralegals in group.
• Strong capability for oversight of a group of legal professionals and practice area with substantial impact on division and Company objectives.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders of Company.
• Leader in achieving the objectives of the department and Office of General Counsel.
• Supervise activities and manage relationships with outside counsel, as needed, to support transactions and manage budget.
• Some domestic and international travel required.
• Report to Assistant Vice President of Corporate Transactions Legal.

Education Minimum Requirement:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Graduate of an accredited US law school, with admission to the Bar of New Jersey or another state.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Ten (10) or more years of legal experience in a major law firm and/or major pharma legal department.
• Experience in negotiating and drafting complex legal business development transactional documents in the pharmaceutical field.
• Excellent teamwork, communication (written and oral) and analytical skills, and a high degree of business acumen.
• Experience in managing a significant workload, with the ability to juggle multiple transactions simultaneously.
• Demonstrated ability to counsel, collaborate and influence executive and senior leaders and key stakeholders to achieve Company goals.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage project implementation.
• Superior analytical skills and ability to assess and weigh benefits and risks.
• Excellent listening skills and sound judgement that is demonstrated by rapid and disciplined decision-making founded on strong ethical values.
• Ability to work independently with high degree of initiative and intellectual curiosity.
• Willingness to assume other related roles and assignments, including the potential for future roles at different Company locations.

OGC2026

Required Skills:

Preferred Skills:

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Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another’s thinking and approach problems collectively.

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The primary location for this posting is:

Where required by law, the compensation range for this role is provided below.

The salary range for the primary location of this role is:

This range reflects the Company's reasonable expectation of the base salary applicable to this role at the time of posting. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs. The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at https://jobs.merck.com/us/en/compensation-and-benefits.

Additional location(s): Please note the salary range above applies to the Primary Location of the position. Where a role has other listed locations, different compensation guidelines may apply. You may find the salary ranges for additional locations below. If the salary range is not listed for the location you are applying to, our Talent Acquisition team will provide further information to you relevant to your location.

Additional location(s) Compensation Information:

San Francisco Residents Only: We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.

Employee Status:

Relocation:

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Flexible Work Arrangements:

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Requisition ID:R427429